My Mission
by Nako13yeh
Summary: (Pre-Unforgiving/Post-TWH) Months after Thor and Loki left for Asgard, the Avengers gather together to watch "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." It was high time Steve stopped running from the truth and uncover the secrets hidden in Shield and Hydra. Besides, Tony and Clint want to see Natasha Kick butt.
1. Chapter 1 - Avengers Assemble!

**Title:** My Mission

 **Summary:** (Post-TWH/Pre-Unforgiving.) Months after Thor and Loki left for Asgard, the Avengers gather together to watch "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." It was high time Steve stopped running from the truth and uncover what goes on in Hydra. Besides, Tony and Clint want to see Natasha Kick butt.

 **A/N:** Sequel to Two Worlds of a Hero and Prequel to Unforgiving. It can be a ' _stand-alone'_ story, doesn't matter if you read the prequel or not.

 **Warnings:** For Movie/Comic spoilers.

* * *

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 1 – Avengers Assemble!**

"Let me get this straight."

"Great," Clint rolled his eyes and mouthed to Natasha. "Here we go."

"We're all called together, rather _ordered_ to gather. Here, in my tower, at this hour." Tony sighed. "To watch a movie, called 'Winter Soldier.'"

"Our tower."

"Excuse me?"

"Our tower," Clint repeated.

"How is it _our_ tower?"

"It's called the Avengers tower, therefore I lay claim it's _our_ tower."

"I paid for everything!"

"Yeah," Clint laughed. "But you still named it Avengers tower."

"Boys, none of you are helping." Natasha leaned back on the chair, sipping her wine. "We're just here to watch a movie, not a wrestling match."

"It's still my tower," Tony proclaimed. "Which brings me back to the point, why now?"

"Because Fury wants to know what else Hydra is up to." Steve answered. "He could've watched it on his own, but he wanted our opinions."

"What about the other one?" Bruce wondered.

"Fury and Coulson have gone through the entire Agents of Shield series." Natasha voiced. "That's why he needs this finally piece because it still doesn't add up. We've only learned a few things about Hydra, the Clairvoyant, Centipede and Shield."

"If only we had season 2, it might be easier."

"We aren't that lucky."

"Of course we're not." Clint snorted. "We're a bunch of unlucky bastards."

Tony asked Jarvis to prepare the popcorn for all of them, while Clint and Natasha sat together on the middle couch. Bruce sat on the right couch, while Steve sat on the other couch opposite it on the left. Their drinks and popcorn were now on the table, ready to be eaten.

"So what are we waiting for," Tony reached out. "Movie please?"

Natasha handed him a USB.

"Where's the DVD?" Tony made a face.

"It's in lock down, this is just a copy." She replied. "One we have to delete once we finished."

"Okay."

Tony plugged it in, had Jarvis secretly copy it and plopped down next to Bruce. Before he could play it, Clint snatched the remote from him like a well-trained spy and handed it to Natasha, who in turn handed it over to Steve.

"Rude much," Tony pouted.

"We can't watch yet." Steve said. "We're still waiting for somebody."

"At this hour?" Bruce asked.

"It's 10 in the evening, who the heck are you waiting for?" Tony complained.

"Be patient, alright?" Steve urged. "It won't be long."

"Better not be Coulson," He mumbled, then realized. "It's not him, is it? Because I have a few words I want to say to him and—"

"It's not him." Natasha shook her head. "He's out there working on Grant Ward and John Garrett."

"And how are they?" Bruce questioned.

"Oh, they're still in a damn cookie jar." Clint frowned. "I personally don't think it's a good idea to share what we know."

"It's Fury and Coulson's call." Natasha grimaced.

"And what is that?"

"I'm saying, Steve, that they want Coulson's entire AoS team to know, including those they trust." She said with a little disdain. "It won't go to the board of directors though, not until they have things under control."

"Care to elaborate?" Tony added.

"Do you want me to talk?" Clint asked.

"Go ahead," Natasha crossed her arms. "They have the right to know."

"The original team," Clint explained, using his fingers to count. "Melinda May, also known as the Cavalry, veteran pilot and soldier, Coulson's friend. Then there's Fitz-Simmons. Simmons works as a biochemist from the research division, while Fitz works as an engineer at the Sci-Tech division."

"Grant Ward, you already know," Natasha added. "Isn't to be trusted."

"Then there's Skye." He pointed out. "Genius hacker, fan of yours."

"Me?" Tony grinned.

"Don't get so full of yourself, I'm not done yet." Clint chuckled. "She has some of your personalities, I guess. But yeah, four of them get immediate access to the files. The others, not so much, Antoine Triplett, Billy, Eric and Sam Koenig are still being checked. Then there's this Raina we have to worry about."

"Don't forget Glenn Talbot from the military." Natasha added.

"Sounds familiar."

"You probably heard it from James Rhodes." Bruce supplied to Tony. "He's in the military."

"That reminds me," Steve remembered. "Thor needs to be alert too, right?"

"What for?"

"Fury told you too?" Clint grinned. "Apparently there's this Lorelei lady that can entice men to do her bidding. Some magic mumbo-jumbo. Thor's Asgardian girlfriend comes to the rescue."

"How do you know so much about this?"

"I don't know all the details," Steve said. "I'm trying to."

"We still work for Shield." Natasha answered. "Why do you think we're telling you all of this if Fury didn't want you to know?"

"Because he wants you to know." A voice spoke.

They all turned.

"Are you kidding me?" Tony stood up and loudly whined. "Great, party's over."

"Mr. Stark."

"Fury," He greeted. "Hill."

"Tony," She smirked.

"Bed time, kids!"

"The party's just getting started," Clint downed his wine and laughed. "Welcome to the club."

"Nice to see you too," Fury voiced.

"Bruce," Hill greeted. "Clint, Natasha… Steve."

Bruce and Natasha nodded at her, while Clint just chugged down on another glass of wine, and Steve raised a hand to greet Hill. Tony still wasn't satisfied as he stood there. Fury plopped down next to Natasha and Clint while Hill sat herself next to Steve.

"No time to discuss shit," Fury sighed. "Play it and let's get this over with."

"Just like that?" Tony grimaced. "No, how are you or anything."

"I know how impatient you are, Stark." Fury leaned back and laughed. "Besides, there's nothing to talk about. Natasha and Clint have informed you, with a little bit of Steve's words, am I right?"

"He does have a point," Bruce mumbled.

Tony just gave him a face.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Fury picked up a glass of wine for him and handed one over to Hill.

"Play it."

Tony walked over to Steve and snatched the remote from him, playing the screen and seating himself next to Bruce. He asked Jarvis to dim the lights and they all waited for the screen. The two assassins took a bowl of popcorn and busied themselves eating it. The rest got comfortable and did the same.

 **The screen faded from black and the epic music came, showing the comic pages and the Marvel logo. It turned black once more, fading into a rising sun on the road and a view of a lake.**

 **A man was jogging along, when all of a sudden, Steve was running full speed.**

"Is that Steve?!" Tony almost choked.

" **On your left."**

"That's him alright." Clint nodded.

 **It changed into another scene with four huge pillars, and the same man was jogging. Then Steve came running past again.**

" **On your left."**

" **Uh huh," Sam voiced. "On my left, got it."**

"I can already tell what's going to happen." Tony laughed.

 **It changed into another scene and the same man was still jogging, with Steve running towards him again. He was sweaty and exhausted, while Steve looked pumped up and ready to go.**

" **Don't say it!" Sam whined. "Don't you say it!"**

" **On your left."**

" **Come on!"**

They gave each other a knowing look before they burst out laughing. Steve looked slightly horrified. Clint was downright laughing while Natasha and Hill smothered their giggles. The rest of them tried to keep a stoic face just for the sake of continuing on.

"You're such an asshole." Tony commented.

 **As Sam struggled to catch up, Steve was already far away.**

"Well this is going to be an interesting movie." Tony chuckled, grinning behind his glass.

"Interesting is one word to describe it," Bruce wholeheartedly agreed.


	2. Chapter 2 - Mission Aboard

**A/N:** Some of the information you'll see below is from Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki. So if you want to know more, it's all there.

* * *

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 2 – Mission Aboard**

" **Need a medic?"**

 **Sam laughed from where he sat sweating underneath a tree as Steve approached, looking fit as ever. Steve placed both hands on his hips and gave him a grin.**

" **I need a new set of lungs." Sam joked. "Dude, you just ran, like, 13 miles in 30 minutes."**

"Are you kidding me?" Tony gaped.

"That's fast." Bruce added.

" **I guess I got a late start," Steve voiced.**

" **Really?!" Sam chuckled and pointed. "You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap."**

Everyone in the room grimaced at him.

Steve just shrugged, trying to blend into the couch at the sarcasm he gave. So far, the movie was going better than they expected. There was humor in it, which was very surprising. Seeing as it's a movie, this was just the very beginning and it'll reach the climax very soon.

" **Did you just take it?" He panted. "I assumed you just took it."**

"He probably did." Natasha smirked.

"Romanov," Steve warned.

" **What unit you with?"**

" **58** **th** **Pararescue," Sam jabbed his thumb backward. "But now I'm working down at the VA."**

"You have a lot of divisions, don't you?" Tony whined at Fury.

"Of course we do." Fury jabbed, "That's because there are some things one man can't do alone."

"Whatever."

" **Sam Wilson."**

" **Steve Rogers." He grabbed his hand and pulled him up.**

" **I kind of put that together." Sam panted, keeping a straight back. "Must have freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing?"**

Everyone knew it was a touchy subject for Steve.

None of them commented on it. Steve was relieved by some of their kindness in that area. So far, he liked what the future had set up for him. It was interesting, and he admitted to himself that he liked this Sam Wilson guy.

" **It takes some getting used to." Steve shook his hand and turned away. "It's good to meet you, Sam."**

" **It's your bed, right?"**

" **What's that?"**

" **Your bed, it's too soft."**

"He knows what's up," Clint mumbled to Natasha.

"We all experienced that." She answered. "It's not shameful to admit it."

" **When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground." Sam told him. "Use rock for pillows like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed and it's like—"**

"— **Lying on a marshmallow." Steve said. "Feel like I'm going to sink right to the floor."**

"You seem pretty up to date," Tony commented.

"I know what a marshmallow is." Steve defended.

"Don't tease him," Natasha scolded. "He's over 50."

"We really need to fix your timing, Romanov."

"Why?" She teased. "You're all bark and no bite."

" **How long?"**

" **Two tours," Sam replied, in which Steve nodded, both of them silently contemplating each other's issues. "You must miss the good old days, huh?"**

"I ask him that all the time." Natasha muttered.

Steve gave her a look while Clint smothered a laugh as he took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in his mouth. Hill shook her head and continued to watch. Bruce and Tony were muttering in the corner about old guys and cheesy lines that made Bruce laugh.

Fury just wondered how he was even able to make this team work.

" **Well," He smiled. "Things aren't so bad. Food's a lot better. We used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot, trying to catch up."**

"You _are_ a caveman." Tony pointed out.

"I don't think you'll last long if you were put in my position." Steve bet.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Children," Fury intervened. "If we can just watch the movie in peace?!"

" **Marvin Gaye," Sam thought and suggested. "1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you missed, jammed into one album."**

 **Steve pulled out a notebook from his pocket and began to scribble down.**

" **I'll put it on the list."**

"I'm curious," Tony made a face. "Do you actually do this?"

"How do you think I'm supposed to learn?" Steve questioned. "There's a lot of things I'm still trying to get used to, but that doesn't mean I'm not open minded."

"Pause!" Clint yelled.

Tony immediately paused at Steve's handwriting.

"I love Lucy," Bruce read it in order. "Moon Landing, Berlin Wall up and down?"

"Steve Jobs is in there too," Hill joked as she sipped her wine. "Disco and Thai Food? Really? You haven't tried those yet?"

"He hasn't seen Star Wars or Star Trek," Natasha smiled. "We can change that."

"Nirvana and Rocky," Tony grinned. "I can easily show that to you."

"Don't listen to them, Rogers." Fury chuckled. "They're a bunch of children, but they will help you keep up to date. A little _too_ up to date that's for sure."

Tony resumed the movie.

 **Steve's cellphone rang and buzzed. He pulled it out and a message saying "Mission Alert. Extraction Imminent. Meet at the curb," along with a smiley face at the end.**

" **Alright, Sam, duty calls." Steve voiced. "Thanks for the run."**

 **He took Sam's hand and shook it.**

" **If that's what you want to call running." He jabbed.**

"Why are you such a jerk?" Tony questioned.

"The sarcasm is unbelievable." Hill chuckled. "You've changed."

"Please," Natasha crossed her arms. "Steve's always been like this."

" **Oh, that's how it is?!"**

" **Oh, that's how it is." Steve repeated.**

" **Okay!" Sam laughed and told him. "Any time you want to stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know."**

" **I'll keep it in mind."**

" **Yeah."**

 **A roaring of an engine sounded and a black stingray corvette appeared behind Steve. Natasha sat driving the car, her hair straight and her expression dead to the world.**

"I want that car," Clint commented. "Do you have that car?"

"No." Natasha said.

"You totally have that car."

 **Natasha brought down the car window and with a small smile she greeted them. "Hey, fellas!" Amusement in her eyes, "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."**

" **That's hilarious."**

"Can I use that line next time?" Tony asked.

"No," Steve scolded.

"It's a pretty good line though," Bruce chuckled and saw Steve make eye contact. "Not that I'm encouraging their teasing, but it's a good line."

"Not a word."

Natasha bit back a laugh when Steve scolded her. She turned her attention back to the movie, seeing Sam admire her car. Natasha smirked. She kind of liked the idea of seeing herself riding the black Stingray corvette.

 **Steve entered the car and closed the door. Sam was still admiring the car, or maybe admiring Natasha too?**

" **How you doing?" Sam asked.**

" **Hey," She replied.**

 **Steve thought for a second before saying, "Can't run everywhere."**

" **No you can't."**

 **Natasha roared the car engine, closed the window with a smirk and zoomed off into traffic. The scene immediately changed from a humorous atmosphere to a gloomy one as the Quinjet roared through the skies.**

 **At the side, words appeared giving out their location.**

 **Indian Ocean.  
Lat:16N 55' 12.06' Long:72N 56' 7.09'**

"Finally," Fury muttered. "We're getting somewhere."

"Do you want me to make contacts?"

"Discretely, if you can, Hill."

"Got it."

" **Target is a mobile satellite launch platform," The man voiced as he showed them the schematics. "The Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them."**

"Hold on!" Tony paused. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Fury turned to Hill and nodded.

"Brock Rumlow," Hill explained and took the tablet she brought, showing them pictures. "He's the leader of the Strike team. Special Tactical Response for International Key Emergencies. You have two members with you."

"Two members?" Bruce gaped.

"Oh yeah," Tony realized and pointed. "I remember that."

"It's in our files," Clint raised his hand.

"Strike team: Delta." Natasha announced. "We had missions like in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Budapest. We do sometimes join in with the rest of the Strike team, _if_ necessary."

"I remember the Abidjan Operation." Clint chuckled. "That was messed up."

"Not as messed up as Budapest."

"You and I still remember it very differently."

"Shall we continue?" Fury said.

Tony pressed play and began to jot down notes for himself and Bruce to check out later. They whispered to each other about a few things. Fury, Hill, Natasha and Clint already knew what the Lemurian Star was. So when Clint made eye contact with Natasha, the two of them were given a nod by Fury, something that went unnoticed to the others.

" **93 minutes ago."**

" **Any demands?" Steve questioned.**

" **Billion and a half."**

" **Why so steep?"**

" **Because it's Shield's."**

"No wonder they want that much money," Bruce indicated.

"What about it?" Fury rebuked.

"Oh, don't mistake my words for anything," He replied. "I was just shocked you have an actual ship launching targeting satellites."

"Right."

" **So it's not off-course, it's trespassing."**

Steve leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms, very curious to know what was going to happen on this mission. He just hoped they would be able to prevent any of this happening.

" **I'm sure they have a good reason," Natasha debated.**

" **You know," Steve began. "I'm getting tired of being Fury's janitor."**

" **Relax, it's not that complicated."**

"Janitor?" Fury asked. "Really?"

Steve merely shrugged, though he admitted to himself that it did feel like that, yet he had no right to say it, at least, not yet. He wasn't feeling like one at the moment, but maybe in the future, he will.

" **How many pirates?" Steve asked.**

" **25," Rumlow voiced. "Top mercs led by this guy, Geaorges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."**

" **Hostages?"**

" **Oh," Rumlow thought. "Mostly techs, one officer, Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley."**

"Are you kidding me?" Tony laughed. "That guy got caught?"

"Is he still locked up?" Steve asked.

"He's being guarded and still being questioned." Fury answered. "We've got enough of what we know, but that's why we're here watching this to match with what he said. That's why Hill is here."

"And because I was told I'd be in this movie." She smiled.

" **What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?"**

"That's my next question," Steve pointed out.

"We might find out." Tony mused.

Fury, Hill, Natasha and Clint exchanged looks again, but Fury had it carry on. It needed to be seen. Better everything spilled out now in controlled chaos than utter chaos. He'd just have to deal with it by the end.

" **Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc," Steve ordered. "Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow," The man stared at him. "You sweep aft, find the hostages. Get them to the life-pods, get them out. Let's move."**

" **Strike, you heard the Cap," Rumlow voiced. "Gear up."**

 **The scene changed to the Quinjet's wings and how strong the rain and wind was picking up that you'd think it was Thor's doing. The Quinjet paused for a moment before boosting up higher into the skies hiding in the thick clouds.**

" **Secure channel seven." Steve tested.**

" **Seven secure." Natasha replied and asked. "Did you do anything fun Saturday night?"**

" **Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead." He said as he put his earpiece on. "So no, not really."**

 **Natasha just smiled at him.**

"I just realized that Steve is actually very sassy." Tony pointed out. "And such a sarcastic asshole."

"You just realized that now?" Clint chuckled.

" _ **Coming up on the drop zone, Cap."**_

 **Steve punched the green button and the door began to open. Natasha quickly said, "You know, if you ask Kristen out from Statistics, she'd probably say yes."**

" **That's why I don't ask." He said as he wore his helmet.**

Steve mentally groaned.

The amount of teasing he was getting from Natasha in the future was downright insane. It was like she was on fire. Steve tempted a glance at her and saw a smile playing on her face, clearly indicating she was enjoying all of this knowledge.

No doubt, for future use.

" **Too shy or too scared?"**

" **Too busy!"**

 **He said as he jumped off, disappearing underneath. One of the Strike member named Jack Rollins walked next to Rumlow and asked.**

" **Was he wearing a parachute?"**

" **No." Rumlow sighed. "No, he wasn't."**

 **Steve was diving quickly towards the ship, pointing his body forward and propelling himself faster into the ocean. The then maneuvered his body upright, covered his face and straightened his legs for a dive.**

Tony had one thing to say to all of this.

"Show off."


	3. Chapter 3 - Extraction Team

**A/N:** I did my best to roughly match the French words from the movie using Google translate (which is bad enough as it is). If there're any mistakes, please feel free to correct me.

* * *

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 3 – Extraction Team**

"Why do I feel like this is going to be bad?" Bruce asked.

"Because it will," Tony answered.

 **The camera moved towards the ship, showing the deck and cargo before moving towards the left side panning to the end of the ship towards the Helipad. At the anchor chains, Steve was climbing on top.**

 **One of the guards passed by and Steve silently choked him before moving on.**

"That's some Joel choke move," Tony referenced.

 **Steve ran towards two more guards and threw his shield at one, knocking him down. He slid to the floor and knocked the other's leg, took his shield back and hit him.**

"I'm impressed," Hill nodded.

"Thanks," Steve mumbled.

 **Steve ran to the other side and kicked one guard hard enough that he fell off the ship.**

"Holy crap!" Tony yelled.

Clint almost choked. "What the hell?!"

 **A guard watched as his friend flew off, he then attacked only for Steve to turn and swipe his leg downward, knocking him off his feet. The other one came charging in and Steve grabbed his arm, pulled him over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground followed by a punch. The other guy got back up on his feet and Steve gave him one last kick.**

"Feels like we're watching James Bond," Natasha joked.

 **Steve continued on.**

 **The camera followed him as he ran through a doorway, only to appear at the side of the ship knocking one of the guards off the railing.**

"This feels like some Mario cart game going on," Tony commented. "There's no stopping you."

"Are we really going to reference me for everything?" Steve complained.

"You like it, gramps."

 **Steve tumbled, catching the attention of the guard and punched him in the face. "Hey!" One from behind him yelled. Steve held on to the railing and kicked the man on the chest, sending him flying to the wall.**

"That must've hurt," Bruce whispered.

"He's totally kicking ass." Clint grinned as he stuffed his mouth with popcorn. "This is amazing."

 **The first guy got his knife out and thrust forward. Steve deflected and grabbed his arm, raised his leg and disarmed his enemy. The guy he kicked groveled and looked at the emergency switch, reaching up to press it.**

"Uh-oh!" Clint voiced. "Spoke too soon."

 **Steve threw the other guy's knife and it embedded itself at the guy's hand.**

"Holy shit!" Tony gaped. "Steve!"

"He was trying to alert the enemy!" He defended.

Tony, Steve and Bruce were the only ones shocked at the action while Clint was practically choking on the popcorn trying not to laugh so hard at the their faces. Natasha, Hill and Fury have seen worse.

 **Steve immediately knocked him out.**

 **The camera changed again, moving above the ship, showing him running towards the railing, pushing himself off with a spin to jump down. He landed, knocked the guard with his shield before kicking the other guy towards the tanks.**

"If you were a video game," Tony began. "You'd be OP as hell!"

"You should watch him train," Natasha smirked.

Steve waved them both off.

 **Steve pushed off one guard, knocking his shield back and forth between the two other guards. Another guard rushed off to attack, but Steve was quicker. He spun and jumped, shooting his shield towards him, then put another guard's hand behind his back and knocking him with his knees twice, throwing him away.**

 **His shield returned, only to have him faced off with another enemy.**

"Wow you got a lot on your hands, Rogers." Fury chuckled.

"This is exhausting to watch," Tony whined.

"You have to admit," Bruce said. "He's really good at this."

Steve wanted to take the pillow next to him and just bury his face in it. He really wasn't comfortable seeing himself on screen. But if he'd have to wait for two hours for the movie to end just to get information on Hydra… then he'll just have to deal with it.

 **The guy kicked his legs, but Steve deflected. Maneuvering the guy's punch to his advantage, he spun and elbowed his face, before jumping straight to pull the guy off his feet, summersaulting him to the ground.**

 **He then attacked the last one, knocking him with his shield with a large clang.**

 **Someone cocked a gun at him.**

" **Bouge pas!" The man said 'don't move' in French. "Bouge pas!"**

 **Steve stood completely still.**

 **The guy was eliminated a second later.**

 **Rumlow then parachuted down towards him, taking off the buckles and belts. Steve turned to him with a panting smile.**

" **Thanks."**

" **Yeah," Rumlow replied. "You seem pretty helpless without me."**

Hill and Fury cocked their heads towards each other with a smile on their faces. Steve noticed it and they gave him a nod. Steve shrugged, thinking that the movie wasn't so bad so far. He could easily see the annoyed amusement on Tony's face, which wasn't anything new. Bruce was indifferent as usual, while Natasha and Clint were muttering something about being 'strike team: delta.'

 **The others parachuted down, including Natasha.**

" **What about the nurse; that lives across the hall from you?" She jabbed as she took off the chute and casually walked next to Steve. "She seems kind of nice."**

" **Secure the engine room then find me a date."**

" **I'm multi-tasking."**

"Really?" Steve gave her a look.

"What?" Natasha smirked. "It's mandatory."

"Man," Clint grinned. "I can't wait to check up on that date."

"There _is_ no date."

"Don't listen to him, Clint." She jabbed. "He's in denial."

" **Je dis Batroc si nous voulons faire S.H.I.E.L.D. nous payer." The head leader said. "Commencer** **à** **les envoyer organismes maintenant!"**

"What did he say?" Bruce asked.

"I told Batroc if we want to make Shield pay us, start sending them bodies now." Tony translated.

Everyone else stared at him.

"What?" He frowned. "I speak French."

"As does, half the people in this room." Fury voiced.

" **Je dois une bale pour quelqu'un." The guy said and pointed his gun at one of the hostages. "You want a bullet in your head?"**

"I assume that was related to what he said?" Bruce asked.

"He said he has a bullet for someone." Tony shrugged.

" **Dèplacez ce pied!" He kicked the hostage's foot. "Voulez-vous une balle dans la tête! Huh!"**

"Move that foot," Tony translated. "Do you want a bullet in your head?"

"They're really not good at threatening," Natasha pointed out.

 **The scene cut off to Steve's parkour through staircase, the light post and railings to reach the top. He pulled out an object from behind and shot it.**

"Hold on," Bruce intervened and the movie was paused. "Does this have a subtitle?"

"It'll be easier to read than to have someone translate it." Steve agreed.

"You're no fun." Tony grinned. "Admit it, you need me!"

"I can have someone else translate for us," He pointed at the others.

"Count me out." Fury declared.

"I'm sure there's a subtitle in there?" Hill said.

"Your techs must've forgotten to put it in there." Tony snorted and grumbled. "Because usually subtitles are in separate files, so I guess they didn't think it was necessary since you all know different languages."

"We can alternate translating," Clint asserted.

"What's the point, it's just Steve." Natasha smiled. "He'll learn."

"Very funny," Steve smiled. "I understand French just fine."

"You do?" Tony ogled him.

"I do."

"I understand small words," Bruce raised his hand. "I'm more fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and Hindi, if you remember Kolkata."

"I remember." Natasha said.

"Yes, that's that."

"Well, I got Bruce covered." Tony un-paused.

" **Je ne aime pas attendre." Batroc stated as he sat on his chair with a guard behind him. "Appelez, Duran. Je veux que ce navire prêt à se dèplacer quand la rançon vient."**

" **Oui, Batroc."**

"He hates waiting," Natasha roughly translated for Bruce. "He wants that guy to call Duran and have the ship ready move when the ransom comes."

"I could have done that." Tony whined.

" **Duran, dèmarrer le moteur." He said on the phone.**

"They're gonna start the engine." Clint chuckled, settling himself nicely on the couch. "Too bad they won't make it."

"Am I the only one that isn't fluent in French?" Bruce griped.

"Not all of us are that good," Hill admitted.

"Don't listen to them Bruce," Tony whispered. "They're from Shield, they're multilingual."

" **Okay."**

 **As the guy finished his call, he turned and met Natasha holding onto a railing with a dark smirk on her face.**

" **Hey, Sailor."**

 **The guy looked lost for words, giving Natasha advantage. She kicked his leg and possibly broke it, making him scream in agony.**

Nearly everyone in the room cringed before Tony laughed and joked.

"Hey Sailor."

"Don't you even try to mock me, Stark." She insisted.

"Not trying to," He smirked.

 **She pulled out a sharp wired weapon attached to her belt and locked it around the guy's neck, pulling him forward in a choke hold before kicking herself backwards off the railing. Her pistols were drawn out as she moved down shooting all the guards and the one below, landing safely.**

 **The other guards looked up and they were shot as well.**

" **Bouge pas tu!"**

 _You, don't move!_

Tony translated the next line in French to make it easier for Bruce, even though he knew Bruce didn't need much help anyways. He hated to admit he was enjoying himself. He actually felt useful.

Who knew his lessons paid off?

That's a first.

" **You want to be a hero, is that it?" He growled. "All right, I've waited long enough."**

 **He walked over to the door and yelled.**

" **Hey!" He grimaced. "Trouver Batroc! Si je ne rien entendu en deux minutes, je commence à les tuer!"**

" **Je vais le trouver!" He agreed.**

"Shit's going down," Tony whispered to Bruce. "The guy in the room wants to find that Batroc guy or he'll start killing the hostages in two minutes. That other guy agreed—"

 **The man was electrocuted.**

"And now he's dead."

"I think I can understand from here, Tony." Bruce smiled.

"Suit yourself."

 **Rumlow held him still and the leader turned away, "Deux minutes!"** _ **Two minutes**_ **and they will kill everyone. The scene changed to three Shield agents walking down the wall while Jack prepared himself taking something out from a bag while Rumlow covered for him.**

 **The extraction team was ready.**

 **It cut off to Steve, sneaking to the control room where two men stood at the window.**

" **Le silence radio de S.H.I.E.L.D., Batroc."**

Tony didn't even need to translate that.

The word's radio and silence from Shield were already in there. He could tell that everyone was getting anxious. Bruce didn't like violence that much, but Tony could tell that somewhere in there, Hulk was probably rejoicing.

However, Steve was hunched forward, eyes gazing intently on the screen. He didn't like violence too, but resorted to it to save people. Natasha and Clint were tapping on their legs in anticipation. Fury was watching while Hill was jotting down notes on her tablet, no doubt contacting Coulson or someone they trusted.

" **Targets acquired." The Shield agent stated.**

" **Strike in position," Rumlow relayed.**

 **Steve raised his arm and asked, "Natasha, what's your status?"**

"Oh this is going to be interesting." Clint smiled.

 **In the pipe rooms down below, Natasha silently dropped down.**

" **Status, Natasha."**

 **She quickly jumped at the guard and shouted "Hang on!" She looped her legs around him and shot volts of electricity from her vambraces, effectively knocking him out.**

"Did I make those?" Tony asked.

 **She rolled to the floor only for another guy to pop out. She deflected his attack, broke his arm and kicked his ribs. She spun lowering herself and knocking his leg, then spun around to hit another guy and kicked him.**

 **He deflected, pinning her.**

"He's gonna die." Clint pointed out.

"How can you tell?" Steve sarcastically asked.

 **Natasha elbowed him on the face, head-locked him and shot her legs down, sliding herself to the side and knocked him out. She shot herself up neatly without losing breath.**

" **Engine room secure."**

 **She took a pipe and hit the guy hard on the face before casually walking away.**

Clint raised his hands and waved it at Natasha.

"There goes Sitwell," Hill frowned.

"How we were all duped is beyond us." Fury grimaced. "Should have known that asshole was working for Hydra,"

" **Le temps s'est ècoulè!"** _Time's up._

 **Sitwell stared at the window, then looked up at the men holding them hostage.**

" **Qui meurt en premier?"** _Who dies first?_

 **The extraction team waited as Steve said "On my mark." Their weapons trailed on the enemy. "Three." Even the ones at the window had their targets. "Two… one." Gunfire went off and the pirates were shot.**

 **The door was blasted open and the last guy died.**

" **I told you," Sitwell confidently said. "Shield doesn't negotiate."**

"Damn right they don't." Fury leaned back.

"At least the Sitwell in the movie is still on our side." Hill assumed.

"Won't be for long."

"He would've been great if he wasn't Hydra though."

"Party's not over," Clint voiced.

" **Hello?" The pirate frowned. "Batroc, la linge allè mort, ja l'ai perdu le contact."**

 **Steve threw his shield towards the window and knocked the guy talking and the shield embedded itself on the metal cabinet. When he entered, Batroc kicked his chest and ran. Steve followed, taking his shield with him.**

 **Rumlow and Jack secured the other areas.**

" **Hostages en route to extraction," Rumlow said as Sitwell followed him.**

" _ **Romanov missed the rendezvous, Cap."**_ **One of the strike team said.** _ **"Hostiles are still in play."**_

"I have a bad feeling about this," Bruce said.

"When hasn't it been bad?" Steve assessed. "So far all we know yet is about the Lemurian Star, the Strike team and Sitwell's involvement."

" **Natasha," Steve panted. "Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages, Natasha?"**

 **Steve saw an attack and shielded himself from a strong kick. He toppled backwards, and shielded himself once more. The guy flipped and brought his legs down, nearly hitting Steve's crotch.**

"Oh," Natasha pointed out. "So close."

 **They stared at each other before resuming their fight. Steve got to his feet and spun while Batroc pushed himself up with one hand and started kicking. He knocked Steve down**

"You're getting your ass kicked." Tony stated.

 **Batroc sent out an array of punches and kicks, all of which Steve deflected with his shield before mustering up enough strength to knock him down. Batroc flew a few feet across, only to get back up and start kicking.**

"This guy is unbelievable," Bruce mumbled.

"Having a tough time ain't yah, Rogers?" Fury sipped his wine. "Looks like you have a match."

"He'll lose." Hill said.

"Excuse me?" Steve stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh, not you," She embarrassingly said. "Him, Batroc."

"Of course he'll lose," Tony snorted. "We're still 11 minutes into the movie."

"He's right," Natasha sighed. "There're still 2 more hours and 3 minutes."

"Quite a movie night," Clint smirked.

 **Steve started sending out his own kicks, throwing Batroc off, but the guy just summersaulted his way back into his fighting stance.**

"This will be so better as a mortal kombat."

"Hell no," Clint laughed at Tony's remark. "That would make it Rated R, or NC-17."

"Who cares." He jabbed. "We're all adults."

" **Je pensais que vous ètiez plus qu'un bouclier."** **Batroc taunted, making Steve put his shield on his back and took off his helmet. Steve glared and said "On va voir,"** _Let's see_ **before releasing his helmet.**

"I would have said that to your face if I thought of it." Tony jested and turned to Bruce. "He is more than just a shield though given his history and all that."

"Thank you," Steve sarcastically yet somewhat sincerely smiled at him.

"You're welcome, old man."

 **They began kicking and punching at each other, testing their limits before Steve knocked his knees and spun down at him, effectively knocking him down. When Batroc got back up to his feet, Steve tackled him towards the door.**

"Not an old man," Steve amusingly muttered.

"Not bad," Tony expressed.

 **He gave him one last punch, striking him cold.**

" **Well this is awkward." Natasha said, the camera focusing on her gathering information, then turning back to the computer. Steve stood up with a betrayed expression on his face.**

"What were you doing there?" Steve gasped.

"Cat fight," Tony whispered.

"What do you mean?" Natasha replied.

"You were supposed to be helping the others."

"Just watch the movie, Rogers." Fury said. "We can argue about this later."

" **What are you doing?"**

" **Backing up the hard drive, it's a good habit to get into."**

" **Rumlow needed your help." Steve's voice tightened. "What the hell are you doing here?" He saw the files Natasha was currently working on. "You're saving Shield intel."**

" **Whatever I can get my hands on."**

" **Our mission is to rescue hostages." His voice pitched up.**

" **No," Natasha sarcastically rebuked. "That's your mission." She pulled out the USB and turned to him, "And you've done it beautifully."**

"This why _not_ to trust Shield," Tony pointed.

"For once," Steve said. "I agree with you."

 **Steve stopped Natasha from walking away, "You just jeopardized this whole operation."**

" **I think that's overstating things."**

 **Batroc got up and threw a grenade at them with Steve knocking it out of the way.**

"What just happened?" Bruce stared.

"That guy can take a hit!" Clint yelled.

 **Steve picked up Natasha, who shot at the window and both of them were propelled inside. Both groaned painfully as they sat by the wall. Natasha grimaced and stared at nothing in particular.**

" **Okay," She hesitantly said. "That one's on me."**

" **You're damn right."**

 **He got up and walked away as the alarms blared throughout the entire ship. Natasha rolled her eyes before a different scene appeared.**

Steve stood up just in time to snatch the remote from Tony, and pause the movie. Everyone was staring at him. Thirteen minutes and thirty seconds into the video and they were already at wits end. Natasha stared at him with no regrets while Clint was prepared to intervene, even though he knew Natasha could hold up her own.

Steve turned to Fury, "We need to talk."


	4. Chapter 4 - Shield

**Merry Christmas to you all!**

* * *

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 4 – Shield**

"There's nothing to talk about, Rogers." Fury said.

"I wanted in on Shield because I thought it would actually help people, not endanger their lives because someone wasn't being honest. If this is how you actually run an operation, I wouldn't want a part of that."

"She had a different mission that you, so what?"

"So what?" Steve gaped.

"Woah!" Tony interrupted. "Hold on!"

"Now's not a good time to join in," Natasha grimaced. "It's really not your place."

"Look, it's a movie." He voiced. "And yes it's the supposed to be future but come on guys, are you really going to argue it out? Like hell Steve, you already knew what you were getting into."

"I knew that, but I should at least have some trust."

"Can we continue the movie now?" Hill voiced.

Everyone turned to her.

"I'm just saying that we're all wasting time arguing when we could just watch the movie, which would apparently all voice out our frustrations."

"She's right." Clint settled himself back on the couch. "I'm not arguing with that logic. A movie _is_ a movie, and we're lucky enough to be able to watch it unfold."

"You'll be lucky I'm not kicking your ass to next Tuesday," Fury glared. "What says you, Rogers?"

"Fine," Steve sat back down. "Peace for now."

"If this is just the beginning," Bruce mumbled. "I fear the time we reach the climax."

Tony snatched the remote back from Steve's hand and played the movie again. The lights were turned off once more for their viewing purpose to make the movie more surreal. The team was quiet, too quiet, but it beats having them talk at once and blurring out the sounds.

"Here we go."

 **The scene showed the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Virginia on Theodore Roosevelt Island and quickly layered out the entire building. The text appeared on the side saying:**

 **THE TRISKELION  
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters  
Lat: 38N 53' 33.78' Long: 77S 3; 38.91'**

 **It panned out and showed the inside where a Shield Logo stood in the middle.**

The others were going to comment about the boldness of the logo and the headquarters right out in the open, but was stopped when the scene quickly changed from calm to a full storm when Steve walked right into Fury's office.

" **You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Steve stalked forward.**

" **I didn't lie." Fury replied, staring out the window. "Agent Romanov had a different mission than yours."**

" **Which you didn't feel obliged to share."**

" **I'm not obliged to do anything."**

"Knew there was no point in fighting," Tony called it.

"I think we all called it," Bruce muttered.

" **Those hostages could have died, Nick."**

 **Fury sat up and faced him, "I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."**

" **Soldiers trust each other." Steve argued. "That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns."**

 **Fury stood up. "Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye."**

Everyone in the room was tense.

There were unspoken arguments there and Fury and Steve still wanted to settle things between them, but it looked as if the movie had already done so and voiced out things that were better left for their ears alone. Too bad everyone was in on the deal, and an agreement had already settled.

There weren't secrets anymore.

" **Look," Fury began. "I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanov is comfortable with everything."**

Clint sent a wink towards Natasha, who simply shrugged back at him.

" **I can't lead a mission when people I'm leading have missions of their own."**

" **It's called compartmentalization** _ **."**_ **He stared. "Nobody spills the secret because nobody knows them all."**

" **Except you," Steve pointed.**

 **Fury backed off as if a thread was cut. He looked back at Steve, who still gave him a challenging look. "You're wrong about me." Steve momentarily frowned. "I do share. I'm nice like that."**

 **The elevator door opened and in came Fury and Steve.**

" **Insight bay."**

 **Fury voiced as the elevator recognized him as Level 10. And when Steve entered as Level 8, he was immediately denied.**

" _ **Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight."**_

" **Director, override. Fury, Nicholas J."**

" _ **Confirmed."**_

 **The door closed.**

The movie was paused.

"I think now might be a good time to say things before we move on," Tony smiled at everyone. "You can thank me later."

"If you're going to show the insight bay," Hill drank and smiled. "I think we can start settling things now and let it go later on."

"He said my piece," Steve pointed at himself on screen. "And will say it anyway."

"And _he_ said mine," Fury copied. "And _will_ say it anyway."

"Fair enough," Natasha voiced.

There was still tension in the room thick enough to cut.

"We all get it." Clint raised a hand. "Shield is an asshole and this is why we nearly got our butts kicked when all we focused on was a single enemy that we didn't realize we were up in our necks recruiting bad guys all along."

"Now we know what we're up against." Natasha added.

"And I'm cool with that." Fury said. "It prevented numerous failings that I suspect is in this movie."

"Numerous failings?" Steve sarcastically asked.

"Can we turn back to the movie?" Bruce squeaked as he interrupted. "I think it would be best if we just let this all go before we say things we're not going to be happy with."

"We're way past that." Natasha muttered.

"Agreed," Clint said.

"You're being awfully quiet, Hawkeye." Tony voiced.

"So are you," He rebuked. "I for one want to know how this movie ends."

"And we will."

Bruce stole the remote and played it before hiding it in one of the pockets in his jacket. He really wanted this to end, because if their arguments don't stop, they would really wish they hadn't pissed him off. He didn't want the big guy to come join them.

" **You know they used to play music," Steve began.**

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Really?" Tony scoffed. "That's your ice breaker."

" **Yeah," Fury turned to him in a much less agitated mood. "My grandfather operated one of these things for 40 years. Granddad worked in a nice building. Got good tips. He'd walk home every night, a roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say** _ **hi**_ **. People would say** _ **hi**_ **back. Time went on, the neighborhood got rougher. He'd say** _ **hi.**_ **"**

"Insta-back-story," Tony yawned.

"Why haven't I heard of this before?" Natasha teased.

"Keep talking, Romanov." Fury coiled.

" **They said** _ **, keep on steppin'.**_ **Granddad got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter."**

" **Did he ever get mugged?" Steve asked.**

 **Fury chuckled and shrugged, "Every week some punk would say,** _ **what's in the bag?"**_

" **What would he do?"**

" **He'd show them." Fury continued on as the elevator went lower. "Bunch of crumpled ones, and a loaded .22 Magnum."**

 **Steve awkwardly looked away.**

 **Behind him as the elevator went further down, was the facility Fury wanted to share with him. Steve moved to look at the view and Fury went on. "Yeah, Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much."**

 **Steve looked at where Fury was staring and gaped at the view.**

" **Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a .22."**

 **Fury hid several Shield Helicarriers that it nearly looked like a city down below.**

Clint whistled, "Now that's taking off with style."

"I can't believe it." Steve shook his head. "I suppose this is the project you're working on right now."

"It was already in works." Fury said. "Even before we knew about this movie and after the Chitauri incident here in New York."

Tony gave Fury a look.

One that Fury saw and returned with a simple nod, one that he hoped Tony understood to keep his silence. After all, it looks like all the secrets were about to be broken all in one sitting. Natasha and Clint seemed to notice this as well, but whether they knew or not was entirely theirs react on.

Bruce just gaped.

 **Steve looked as if his eyes were opened for the first time, unsure of his disbelief and distrust growing as he saw guns underneath the carriers. Quinjets were being loaded above the Helicarriers, ready for take-off. Supplies in each and every one of them and giant turrets above were stationed.**

" **This is Project Insight." Fury voiced as they walked on. "Three next-generation Helicarriers, synced to a network of targeting satellites."**

" **Launched from the Lemurian Star," Steve replied.**

" **Once we get them in the air, they never need to come back down, continuous sub-orbital flight, courtesy of our new repulsor engines." He pointed as they walked towards one of them.**

" **Stark?"**

" **He had a few suggestions once he got an up-close look at our old turbines."**

"Oh boy," Bruce muttered.

"Here we go." Clint grimaced.

 **The screen showed the turbines and then several guns at the bottom.**

" **These new long-range precision guns can eliminate 1,000 hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We're gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen."**

" **Thought the punishment usually came after the crime."**

" **We can't afford to wait that long."**

" **Who's we?"**

" **After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis. For once, we're way ahead of the curve."**

" **By holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it protection," Steve deduced.**

"Can I say something?" Steve raised his hand and smiled.

Tony awkwardly looked up and knew that wasn't a friendly smile. It's the smile that gets his enemies killed once Steve puts his mind into it. Tony clasped his hands together and turned to Bruce.

Bruce took the remote and paused the movie.

He knew full well that Steve would want an explanation. As soon as the movie was paused, Steve rounded on him.

"Okay, so you're in on this too?" Steve pointed at him.

"Don't make me look like the bad guy, okay?" Tony defended as he raised both arms. "You just heard Fury say I got an up-close look at that turbine. You were there, and don't you deny it! You knew how badly beat up we got caught trying to fix that turbine."

"And its good we got his opinion on it too." Fury added.

"I can understand the turbine, I don't get the guns."

"You heard it first hand, Rogers. We can't afford to wait. You saw what happens during war, you know the good and the bad, like I said: numerous failings. We still don't know if this is the good or the bad."

"Good for now," Hill added. "Most of the threat at this moment is eradicated. The Council knows as much as they have to."

"She's right," Natasha nodded. "And _we_ happen to be ahead of Hydra."

"And we know about Sitwell's involvement," Clint joined.

"It got a lot easier from there to try and find out what's happening. It's Coulson who has more of the upper hand in all of these things, so we're still clueless in that department. But the Council is still the council."

"I still don't like where this is going," Steve said. "We're all supposed to be a team."

"And we still are," Fury managed. "There are just some things that weren't supposed to be shared, but now that we're at our wits end, it's time for the reveal. And this is the reveal."

"That we're holding the entire Earth hostage?"

"That's not the point."

"It's a scary thought, Nick."

"17 minutes in and we're all turned against each other." Clint rolled his eyes.

"A compromise, we need to settle things after the movie," Steve sighed and calmly said. "Can we at least agree on that?"

"Agreed," Fury nodded.

"And you," Steve rounded on Tony.

"Yes, dad?"

"We're going to talk."

"If I don't want to or if I direct you to my lawyer?"

"There's no point, Steve." Natasha said. "Reasoning with Tony is as easy as getting your eyes clawed by a cat."

"I'm not giving up on making him see sense either."

"And here I thought we were getting along just fine," Tony crossed his arms. "Can we watch the movie now?"

Finally they resumed, but it didn't stop the tension.

" **You know, I read those SSR files." Fury turned to him. "Greatest Generation? You guys did some nasty stuff."**

" **Yeah, we compromised." Steve stared. "Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well, but we did it so that people could be free. This isn't freedom. This is fear."**

Steve decided not to comment.

He knew full well that he had already made his point earlier on.

The conversation on the screen only made things a lot worse for their relationship as a team, and Steve knew that it wasn't going to end so soon. Nearing 18 minutes in, and it was still the short end of the stick. It wasn't going to be easier from here on then.

Fury must've felt the same way as he kept his silence.

" **Shield takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be." He stepped closer to him. "And it's getting damn near past time for you to get with that program, Cap."**

" **Don't hold your breath."**

 **Steve walked away from him.**

Everyone in the room held their breath, unsure of how to react at that very moment. There were so many things that needed to be clarified between them, but they chose their silence.

 **The next scene showed Steve on his motorcycle, exiting the headquarters with his shield behind him. The next scene showed the museum.**

" _ **Welcome to the Smithsonian."**_

Natasha snorted.

Steve recognized the joke and chuckled.

Everyone else got wind of it and at a point, laughed. It was a good icebreaker, that's for sure, one that they were all lucky to have. The movie had its perks and it didn't stretched too wildly into an emotion.

 **The camera panned down to several tourists and changed to the "Captain America" department saying 'Welcome Back, Cap' and Captain America the living legend and symbol of courage. It then focused on the displays and a narrator sounded…**

" _ **A symbol to the nation."**_ **It said as it showed a painting of him saluting in his outfit with a flag behind him.** _ **"A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery, and sacrifice."**_

"Nearly didn't recognize you there, Cap." Tony said. "Nice disguise."

"Thanks," He sarcastically replied.

 **Steve walked with a blue cap on, a blue jacket and white shirt as he went around the museum. It then showed a very scrawny picture of him:**

 **PRE-SERUM.  
Weight: 95lbs.  
Height: 5'4. **

**And another built up picture of him:**

 **POST-SERUM.  
Weight: 240lbs.  
Height: 6'2.**

" _ **Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steve Rogers was chosen for a program, unique in the annals of American warfare."**_ **Children were comparing themselves to Steve and had Captain American merchandizes with them.** _ **"One that would transform him into the worlds first Super-Soldier."**_

"Sassy Soldier's more like it." Tony voiced.

Clint snorted as he took in a huge pile of popcorn.

"Creep kid staring at 11o'clock."

 **The child stared and Steve smiled at him, putting a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, which the kid nodded in a shocked response. Steve continued to walk and reminisce, staring at the nostalgic memories the things at the museum had to offer.**

" _ **In this rare footage, everyone's favorite war hero, Captain America…"**_

" _ **Battle tested and his howling commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission: taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division."**_

"And we're still taking them on." Bruce pointed out. "Well, you are, anyway."

"It never ends." Steve sighed.

"Hopefully it will," Hill smiled. "Soon enough."

"Not as soon as we'd hope." Natasha joined.

 **Steve walked away and stared at a picture of Bucky with the title: A Fallen Comrade.** _ **"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only howling commando to give his life, in service of his country."**_

 **Steve looked, dejected.**

" _ **That was a difficult winter."**_ **Peggy carted from the recording voiced.** _ **"A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve, Captain Rogers…"**_ **Steve sat there, watching from the projector.** _ **"He fought his way through a Hydra blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men."**_

 **Steve dropped his gaze.**

" _ **Including a man who would…"**_

 **He looked at a compass.**

" _ **Who would become my husband, as it turned out… even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."**_

"I think we're through the anger emotions," Bruce muttered.

Everyone could see how hard it was for Steve to try to avoid looked at the screen. It was his past, and unfortunately still his present. Things weren't going to get easy from there on. They were still 20 minutes into the movie, and they've already experienced thrill, arguments, turmoil and now the drama.

Steve wasn't sure how he'd get through this.

One thing that he did know that would come off this movie was that…

It wasn't going to get any easier.


	5. Chapter 5 - Nicholas J Fury

**oOo**

 **Chapter 5 – Nicholas J. Fury**

Steve couldn't believe his eyes.

" **You should be proud of yourself, Peggy."**

He kept this visit to himself. Yet he knew that part of Shield had known. They kept Peggy safe, kept her secured and helped her live her life in solitude. Steve was thankful, but to have the Avengers dig deeper into his already messed up story was too much.

Yet he can't escape.

 **At the bed side table were picture frames of Peggy's family. The camera panned to the right to show Peggy in her old age, turning to look at where Steve stared. She hummed and smiled at Steve.**

" **I have lived a life." She worded. "My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours."**

Tony sat there in silence.

He desperately tried to find out a way to sneak out and cut all the melodrama. He wasn't good at these moments. To watch it on screen, well… he wasn't sure how to react. He could clearly see Natasha and Clint whispering to each other while Hill and Fury remained silent. Bruce watched on, oblivious.

But to turn to Steve, he could clearly see the man was agitated.

" _Poor guy,"_ He thought.

" **What is it?" Peggy urged.**

 **Steve hesitated, "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right." He took a deep breath, "I guess I'm not quite sure what that is any more. And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve." He smiled sadly. "It's just not the same."**

 **Peggy chuckled.**

" **You're always so dramatic."**

 **Steve smiled back.**

" **Look," Peggy began. "You saved the world. We rather… mucked it up."**

" **You didn't." Steve told her. "Knowing that you helped found Shield is half the reason I stay."**

"She founded Shield?" Tony gaped.

"Along with your dad apparently," Fury mumbled. "It was a hectic operation back then. Different techs and hard to get leads."

"True." Hill nodded.

" **Hey." Peggy took Steve's hand and brought him closer. "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes the best that we can do is to start over."**

 **She started coughing and Steve immediately stood to get her some water. When he came back to her and offered it, the look in Peggy's eyes was enough to shatter the human soul.**

" **Steve?" She gasped.**

" **Yeah?"**

 **Peggy began to cry, "Y-you're alive."**

Tony was looking away.

Why was it so hard to watch? Not even the rest of the Avengers could keep a straight face, let alone Steve. They all held their breath and to think that Steve comes back to that? How painful was it to see everyone aged and he was still the same person?

" **Y-you came b-back." She cried.**

 **Steve smiled sadly, "Yeah, Peggy."**

" **It's been so long." She broke. "So long…"**

" **Well, I couldn't leave my best girl." Steve assured. "Not when she owes me a dance."**

By then the camera had changed its focus and they were brought back to Fury's office. No one spoke. Steve's eyes were glued to the screen and only Tony and Bruce acknowledged each other. As if an agreement had happened in silence, they decided not to speak of it.

Pain was always inevitable.

" **Secure office."**

 **The windows dimmed black and Fury turned holding the usb that Natasha had taken at the Lemurian Star. He jacked it in and said "Open Lemurian Star's satellite launch file." But he was denied. "Run decryption." But it failed. "Director, override. Fury, Nicholas J."**

" _ **Override denied. All files sealed."**_

" **On whose authority?"**

" **Fury, Nicholas J."**

 **He went into the elevator and said, "World security council."**

"Things are getting interesting." Fury ordered. "Hill, if you don't mind."

"Do you want me to—"

"Discretely, Hill."

"What do you plan to do? Steve asked. "If they're getting involved again…"

"I have no doubt they're getting involved, they always are." Fury sighed. "But we'll see how this plays out so that we know what we're up against. I just want Hill to have a team ready just in case."

"This is the council?" He pointed.

"A bunch of pricks that's what," Tony mumbled.

" **If Nick Fury thinks he can get his costumed thugs," Rockwell voiced. "And Strike commandos to mop up his mess, he's sadly mistaken. This failure is unacceptable."**

" **Considering this attack took place," Singh stated. "One mile from my country's sovereign waters, it's a bit more than that. I move for immediate hearing."**

" **We don't need hearings," Councilwoman Hawley said. "We need action. It's this council's duty to oversee Shield."**

" **A breach like this raises serious questions." Yen declared.**

" **Like how the hell did a French pirate," Rockwell began. "Manage to hijack a covert Shield vessel in broad daylight?"**

"Should have known Pierce was in on this," Fury leaned back. "This is where the fun begins and we get to find out who's on our side."

" **For the record, Councilman," Pierce corrected. "He's Algerian. I can draw a map if it'd help."**

" **I appreciate your wit, Secretary Pierce." He glared. "But this council takes things like international piracy fairly seriously."**

" **Really?" He joked. "I don't."**

"I have a bad feeling about this," Natasha mumbled.

"You always do," Clint retorted.

" **I don't care about one boat, I care about the fleet." He paced. "If this Council is going to fall to rancor every time someone pushes us on the playing field, maybe we see someone to oversee us."**

"Who is this guy?" Bruce asked.

"He helped with Project Insight," Fury expanded. "He also declined the Nobel prize. That it was wasn't an achievement but a responsibility."

"Crap." Tony muttered.

"Exactly."

"I'm pretty sure we'll see more of him later." Natasha pointed out. "Seeing as he's handling being secretary quite nicely."

" **Mr. Secretary, nobody is suggesting—" Yen began but was caught off when a woman whispered something into Pierce's ear and walked off.**

" **Excuse me."**

" **More trouble, Mr. Secretary?"**

" **Depends on your definition."**

 **Fury was watching from the outside and the World Council had ceased their conversation. Pierce walked out of the room and jokingly said "I work 40 floors away and it takes a hijacking for you to visit?"**

" **A nuclear war would do it too." They shook hands.**

"Are you friends?" Steve wondered.

"Does it look like we're friends?" Fury retorted.

" **You busy in there?" Fury gestured.**

" **Nothing some earmarks can't fix."**

" **I'm… uh… here to ask a favor." He slowly said. "I want you to call for a vote. Project Insight has to be delayed."**

" **Nick, that's not a favor." Pierce gaped. "That's a sub-committee hearing. A long one."**

" **It** _ **could**_ **be nothing. It probably** _ **is**_ **nothing." He shrugged. "I just need time to make** _ **sure**_ **it's nothing."**

" **But if it's something?"**

" **Then we'll both be damn glad those Helicarriers aren't in the air."**

" **Fine," He agreed. "But you got to get Iron Man to stop by my niece's birthday party."**

" **Thank you, Sir."**

 **They shook hands.**

" **And not just a flyby," Pierce said. "He's got to mingle."**

Everyone gaped.

Tony started to laugh and Clint followed him. Everyone else was close to snickering. That did not just happen. Out of all the people and it had got to be Tony. Even Fury's face on the screen was pure amusement. Tony can't help himself. It was just too hilarious. He couldn't wait to see what happens afterwards.

"This is insane," Clint cried. "Negotiations and Stark's name does the favor?!"

"Unexpected." Natasha giggled.

"Hey," Tony was fully grinning. "You're totally welcome."

"You have your perks," Fury snorted. "Don't be too cocky about it."

"But seriously, Nick." He laughed. "A birthday party?"

"You're popular, I'll give you that."

The next few scenes were about Steve heading over to meet Sam, who spoke about suit cases and man purses that would help out people with problems. Sam and Steve caught up with each other and simply spoke about issues of guilt and regret. Sam spoke of his wingman Riley and how he stopped working and asked if Steve would go back out, but Steve's answer was simply, I don't know.

During these scenes, Tony went to get some more drinks and popcorn.

Some even left for a little break, but as soon as the scene ended as quickly as it began, everyone was seated right back to watch.

" _ **Activating communications encryption protocol."**_

"Shits about to get down," Tony said as he downed a bottle. "You drive that thing?"

" **Open secure line zero-four-zero-five."**

" _ **Confirmed."**_

"I have a question, have you told anyone else of what happened to us?" Steve wondered. "The ones at the Helicarrier know, but the Council, do they?"

"No." Fury said. "I thought to keep it a little secret."

"They know a little." Hill voiced and pointed at the screen. "But not to an extent that they can use it against us. They don't know much about this."

"Which is why I want us to watch it," He glared. "Just so we know what we're up against."

"Look." Clint pointed.

" _ **This is Hill,"**_ **she voiced on the windshield.**

" **I need you here in D.C." Fury said. "Deep shadow conditions."**

" _ **Give me four hours."**_

" **You have three. Over."**

"What do you need Hill over for?" Clint asked.

"Why do I need you over for?" Fury rebuked.

"Touché."

 **A white car pulled next to Fury's and the eerie ambiance continued. Fury turned to the driver and got a double take to see two police officers staring at him.** The Avengers looked at each other, knowing full well that something bad was going to happen. Even Fury anticipated it as soon as the movie Fury spoke. **"Want to see my lease?" He turned away and the police lit up their Siren and moved, followed by Fury.**

 **All of a sudden, the car was hit at the side.**

"Holy shit!" Tony jumped.

Everyone else stared in shock.

 **The bag of the car deployed.**

 **The police stopped, reversed and blocked his front while another police car blocked his back. Another was readying to block the other side.**

" _ **Fracture detected."**_ **The computer stated.** _ **"Recommend anesthetic injection."**_

"Someone wants you dead." Natasha crossed her arms.

"The question is who." Fury narrowed his eye.

 **Armed SWAT officers got out of the black van as Fury injected his upper left arm.** _ **"D.C. Metro Police dispatch shows no units in this area."**_ **Everyone had their guns pointed at him as he spit out the top of the syringe.**

"I don't see how you can get out of that," Bruce stated.

"You're trapped." Clint muttered.

" **Get me out of here!" Fury ordered.**

 **Everyone started to shoot at him from all sides.**

"What the hell?" Tony gaped.

"This is bad," Steve leaned forward in anticipation.

Hill was glancing at Fury, but he didn't tear his eye off the screen. He continued to watch himself struggle to escape an inevitable fate. But nothing was impossible without fighting for it. He knew himself better than anyone, and knew he had a way out.

He always did.

" _ **Propulsion systems offline."**_

" **Then reboot, damn it!"**

 **The armor of his vehicle was at 82% slowly decreasing to 80. Everyone continued shooting and was getting nearer and nearer to the car. They stopped for a moment and brought out a battering ram and set it at the car door.**

"You're in for it." Hill addressed. "They really want you dead."

"The question is who got wind of it." Fury glared. "We can't trust anybody anymore."

" _ **Warning, window integrity compromised."**_

" **You think?"**

 **Fury pushed himself away from the driver's seat and moved to the front passenger seat. The machine drilled through concrete and locked itself there.**

" **How long till propulsion?"**

" _ **Calculating."**_

 **The machine was pressed and the car was knocked over to the side.** _ **"Window integrity 31%. Deploying countermeasures."**_

" **Hold that order!"**

"What?" Hill gaped. "You're holding that order?"

"That's suicide." Bruce mumbled.

 **Again, the car was knocked to the side.** _ **"Window integrity 19%. Offensive measures advised."**_ **Fury held his ground as he glared at the window, "Wait!" They knocked the car over again and the window was close to breaking.** _ **"Window integrity 1%."**_

" **Now!"**

 **The gear shift was suddenly replaced with a machine gun that Fury immediately manned and pointed at his enemies and shot at different directions. He killed several of them at the encounter. He then shot a grenade at the black SWAT van and it exploded. He did the same to another police car that it toppled over the other one.**

" _ **Propulsion systems now online."**_

" **Full acceleration! Now!" He yelled.**

 **The car drove itself away from his pursuers as he made a quick getaway.**

"It's like watching a James bond movie." Tony leaned back. "You're insane."

"It's not over yet." Clint pointed. "Look."

" **Initiate vertical takeoff!"**

" _ **Flight systems damaged."**_

" **Then activate guidance cameras!" He moved back to the driver seat and knocked his arm over the door and yelled in pain. "Give me the wheel!"**

"They're still after him." Natasha bit her lip.

 **Fury maneuvered through traffic like a boss.**

" **Get me Agent Hill." He ordered.**

"Oh it's serious," Hill nodded. "Very serious."

" _ **Communications array damaged."**_

" **Well, what's not damaged?"**

" _ **Air conditioning is fully operational."**_

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the humor wasn't far off. The entire team had to laugh at that one, because it was really funny. But that humor sooner died down at the speed Fury was going to get away from his pursuers. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. They've known Fury for a while, and to lose him was unthinkable.

" _ **Traffic ahead."**_

" **Give me an alternate route."**

" _ **Traffic alert on Roosevelt Bridge."**_ **The computer declared.** _ **"All vehicles stopped. 17**_ _ **th**_ _ **Avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead."**_

 **Fury had no choice and began to ram the car into the other vehicles without causing too much damage. He went between two cars and overtook them, allowing the two to block off the police. The men got out of their car and started to chase him.**

 **He got caught and a man went over a car and started shooting. One of the cars continued pushing through as Fury did the same thing while the other guy ran for him. The guy shot through the bus and Fury had to ram through several of them to get save himself.**

 **And the chase was back on.**

"Don't they know the word give up?" Tony breathed.

"The fact that they want me dead is one thing," Fury grimaced. "But to go through the extents, well, that's something else."

 **They avoided traffic and the police were gaining on him. One of them leaned out the window and shot at him, but Fury leaned back to avoid it. Twice Fury avoided getting shot by driving past a car and a truck. He spun the wheel and rammed into the car and pulled the guy into his window.**

"He's boxed in." Natasha glared.

"Do we even know why you're being chased?" Steve questioned.

"Probably the Project Insight," Fury stated and leaned back. "That's the only thing I can think of that connects all of this."

"Hydra then." Bruce mumbled.

"Exactly."

"Doesn't this bother you?" Tony asked.

"Should it?"

"You're getting your ass kicked."

"There's always a day when things don't go your way." Fury shrugged. "Besides, better to watch it than experience it. I have no inclination on doing the latter. Thank you very much."

 **Fury punched his opponent and ended up wrestling with him.** _ **"Warning! Approaching intersection."**_ **He stepped the pedal to a stop and the two cars raced forward and got hit by a moving yellow truck.**

" **Get me off the grid!" He yelled.**

" _ **Calculating route to secure location."**_

"I don't like this." Steve muttered as he felt something on his chest.

The screen was showing Fury's windshield full of bullet holes and the blurred image on the background focused. Steve didn't notice the exchanges Fury, Hill, Clint and Natasha gave each other. Bruce and Tony watched on in shock as the mystery guy aimed.

 **He shot a disk below the car and it magnetized underneath and exploded a second after. The car toppled and the mystery guy sidestepped it like it was nothing. The guy in black walked after him as Fury tried to get his bearings as he pulled out a device.**

 **The mystery guy with his metal arm pulled the car open and looked inside to find a hole underneath the ground.**

 **Fury was gone.**

Natasha cursed in Russia as silently as she could, but Clint overheard her. He patted her knees affectionately and as discreetly as possible without tearing his gaze from the screen. Clint knew how much Shield meant to Natasha. It was him who brought her there after all. Shield was like a home to both of them.

And now… they weren't even sure.

What would Shield be like without Fury manning the stations?

The Avengers rewound the movie and paused at the guy wearing the goggles and mask. They eyed him and his metal arm or fingers… Fury and Hill remained silent. Natasha was livid, and everyone from Steve to Tony could tell that. Clint could only keep her calm for so long, but he knew Natasha well. She can hold her own.

"So," Bruce opened. "Who is he?"

"I have a guess," Natasha glared.

"I don't." Steve stared.


End file.
